Abstract

Adaptable polymer particles that can change geometry, flowcharacteristics, and adsorption properties upon the stimulation of an environmental change, such as temperature, are fabricated by utilizing the residual stress developed at the interface of a bilayer. We propose a phase diagram that can be used to predict the shape and size of the adaptive polymer particles as a function of the material modulus, thickness ratio, and the bilayer’s lateral dimensions. The materials used are gold/titanium and polydimethylsiloxane, but the method is applicable to a wide range of material combinations. Initial demonstrations of this responsive control and its impact on properties of the adaptive polymer particles are also presented.

Received 26 June 2008Accepted 12 July 2008Published online 30 July 2008

Acknowledgments:

The authors acknowledge the financial support from National Science Foundation MRSEC at University of Massachusetts and the Army Research Office Young Investigator Award, and thank O. Yavuzetin and Professor Tuominen for helping with the e-beam evaporation.